prices have never shot higher than they have in california within the last week. in some places, the price is above five dollars a gallon. it's led the governor to take emergency action and california's senior senator to call for a federal investigation. in california, you might hesitate once you grab the handle of the gas pump. california often has some of the highest gasoline prices in the u.s. but this is off the charts. the nationwide average is $3.81 a gallon, but in california, it leaped to an average of $4.65. in san jose, it's $4.65 for regular, $4.85 for premium. but in la, regular is nudging $5 and premium is $5.29 a gallon. enough to make you put the handle back without filling up. california governor jerry brown ordered state regulators to allow refineries to produce more gasoline - even switching to winter blend, which can be made more easily than the less-polluting summer blend. in a letter to regulators, brown said, "if this situation continues, it may cause unacceptable price impacts for consumers and small businesses, significant economic disruption, and serious